Texas ties

When I tell people that we counted 27 cowboy hats during 10 days in Texas, the usual response is, "Is that all?"

It surprised us too, but our tour of Texas was full of surprises. Ten days of travel from Houston to San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas taught us that fun and surprises are almost as plentiful as the stereotypes we have of the Lone Star state.

Our itinerary was planned around family. Almost 125 years ago, my great-grandparents emigrated from Europe to Texas. Most of their descendants still live there, but a few migrated north -- some even as far as Ottawa. I figured March Break was a good time for my very Canadian husband and two teenage sons to get to know my roots.

Houston

"What does an astronaut eat in his sandwich?" the elderly volunteer asked us as we entered the visitor centre at NASA for our first day of sightseeing.

"Launchmeat."

Bad jokes aside, the Space Center is worth the 30-minute drive from Houston. It has hands-on, kid-friendly exhibits, an IMAX and a trolley to take you to various buildings, including the mission control centre that sent Apollo spaceships to the moon.

That night we went to the 76th annual Houston Livestock and Rodeo show. Full disclosure here: our ongoing cowboy hat count was suspended for the rodeo. Just like people wear their Senators' jersey to an Ottawa hockey game, people attending rodeos dress for the occasion. Cowboy boots and hats were in full evidence.

For someone who is afraid of horses, a rodeo is an impressive event -- especially from afar. Anyone who can lasso a calf from a galloping horse and tie it up in 8.5 seconds gets my applause.

Then there's steer wrestling, bronc riding and bull riding, the latter complete with clowns wearing hockey masks to distract the bull. Lithe cowgirls tear around barrels and there's a chuckwagon race, as well.

The most charming event featured 14 calves and 28 kids from the Future Farmers of America. In a livestock version of musical chairs, the kids run to catch a calf. They get to keep the one they catch, raise it, and sell it the following year to help pay for their university education.

On Day 2 in Houston, we sit in the sunshine on the back deck of my cousin's house.

"Tell us about that Canadian health-care system we keep hearing about," my cousin asks.

We give the rundown and try to be truthful.

San Antonio and Hill Country

San Antonio's renowned River Walk is indeed enchanting -- and romantic: one of the first things we see is a man on his knees proposing to a young lady on one of the many bridges that cross the meandering San Antonio River in this beautiful four-kilometre area of lush landscaping, restaurants, cafés and shops.

The Alamo, the mission-cum-fortress where brave "Texians" (as the anglo residents of the then-Mexican territory were called then), including the famous Davy Crockett, fought and were defeated by the Mexican forces led by Santa Ana in 1836, is a San Antonio must-see. It's a limestone shrine surrounded by luxurious gardens with many plaques explaining the history of Texas and the importance of this battle which led, eventually, to the creation of the independent republic of Texas.

Across the street from the Alamo is a strip of expensive Niagara Falls-like tourist-trap destinations: Ripley's Haunted Adventure, the Guinness World Records Museum, Louis Tussaud's wax museum and a mirror maze. We waste enough money to keep our 13-year-old happy and then eat Mexican food at Casa Rio along the River Walk.

San Antonio also has some impressive architecture: the limestone San Fernando Cathedral, founded in 1731, and several Art Deco examples including the Aztec theatre, the Majestic theatre and the Drury Hotel. The Villita area, one of the oldest parts of San Antonio, is full of little art galleries and gift shops, reminiscent of the Distillery District in Toronto.

Just an hour out of San Antonio, on the way to Austin, is the small town of Gruene (pronounced green). Gruene is home to the oldest dance hall in Texas. The Dixie Chicks have performed here, as well as Lyle Lovett, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, Garth Brooks and Willie Nelson. The building looks like it's about to fall down or catch fire, or maybe both. It lists to one side and smells like beer and tobacco, but it has a great vibe: a small stage, picnic tables, lots of room for dancing, cheap beer and a pool table. Our boys play pool for 25 cents a game while we explore the rest of the little town.

There are artisans: a metalwork store with wrought-iron pergolas, benches, tables, chairs, lizards, bits of fence and stars of Texas. A junk/antique store sells overpriced Depression glass, Fiestaware, vintage posters, bits of old silver, retro toasters and irons. A ceramic studio is next door and across the street is the General Store with Texas-made condiments and salsas, Christmas ornaments and other tempting souvenirs. They also have ice cream and we sit on the front porch and enjoy ours.

For lunch, we meet my aunt at the Grist Mill restaurant overlooking the Guadalupe River, where we could go tubing or kayaking down rapids. This casual restaurant has fantastic baby-back ribs, pork sandwiches and enormous hand-dipped onion rings.

Austin

When we arrive in Austin, we wonder if we're still in Texas. It's a legitimate question, since our visit coincides with the SXSW (South by South-West) music and film festival that every year fills the city -- already known for its counter-culture -- with extreme counter-culture specimens from around the world.

SXSW features 1,700 bands on 64 stages and, according to a brochure called Canadian Blast, more than 100 Canadian performers, including Matthew Good. Sixth Street, the main downtown drag, is crowded with poster-children of the Indie music and film industries. Despite the T-shirt warmth and sunshine, wool toques and flannel shirts are in evidence, a reminder perhaps, that SXSW is where Nirvana got its big break.

We board a sightseeing bus that takes us around the town. Our guide tells us random facts about Austin: it has the largest urban bat colony in North America with 1.5 million bats. He tells us where the best burgers are (Jo's Coffee), the best tacos (Guero's Taco Bar) and best chili (Texas Chili Parlor). He takes us past Chuy's, the bar where Jenna Bush got arrested for underage drinking and past Anton's Blues Club, which is credited with putting Austin on the map as a music capital.

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That night we have a family dinner at my Austin cousin's place outside of the city. There are deer and agave and prickly pear cactus and mesquite trees around her house. It's not a gentle country, but beautiful in a lonely way. They say: "Tell us about that health-care system we keep hearing about up in Canada."

The next day, we visit the state capitol building which was modelled on the one in Washington. It's delightfully accessible: no security screenings or lineups. A free tour takes us through the Senate and the House of Representatives. We see paintings and we are once again told the story of the Alamo. The famous refrain, Remember the Alamo, is a reality. No one in Texas is going to let you forget it.

There are lots of museums within walking distance of the state capitol building, including the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. Since we're near the University of Texas campus, a sprawling corner of the city, we visit the University Co-op, where you can buy any kind of Texas Longhorn paraphernalia including pyjamas, baby clothes, burnt orange nail polish and maternity T-shirts with an arrow pointing down and the words, "Future Longhorn coming soon."

We shop and then recover with a pitcher of beer at Scholz beer garden, an Austin landmark, where my father and his brothers also went to drink beer when they were students at the University of Texas in the 1930s and 1940s.

Dallas

The Big D, as Dallas is called, is a shock to the system after counter-culture Austin. The cars are bigger and shinier, the drivers more aggressive. My husband, who was wondering just a day or two before where all the blond Texas women were, discovers with a smile that they are concentrated in Dallas.

We make our way to Dealey Plaza and the Sixth Floor Museum in the Texas Schoolbook Repository where Lee Harvey Oswald hid when he shot JFK in 1963. My expectations are low. I'm thinking that it will be sensationalistic, but, in fact, interesting photographs, texts, several videos and a free audio guide provide a fascinating "Just the facts, Ma'am" tour of the Kennedy assassination and the aftermath.

After, we walk around the corner to Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse for classic barbecue: this means slowly cooked meat (it could be pork or beef) in a sauce served on a bun. Sides include onion rings in a real batter, french fries, deep-fried okra, beans and slaw. We wash it down with Texas Shiner Bock beer. The peach cobbler à la mode is a huge hit with our teenagers.

"Are those real diamonds?" I ask the woman behind the jewelry counter at Neiman Marcus later that day. She fixes me with a look and replies: "Of course they are. You are in the Precious Jewel department."

I decide to be unfazed by her tone and ask to try on a $25,000 bracelet and then a $65,000 ring. Shopping in Dallas is not for the meek.

We decide that we have to have a steak before we leave Texas and head to Kirby's steakhouse, considered one of the best in the city. It turns out to be everything you want in a steakhouse: respectable, leathery and masculine, with white-suited waiters. I enjoy chunks of tenderloin served with three sauces and arranged around mashed potatoes topped with crispy fried onions.

We also attend a St. Patrick's Day party. At one point we're asked: "Tell us about that health-care system you all have in Canada that we keep hearing about."

My husband and I look at each other and laugh. We've got the script memorized by now.

But then, because there are many teachers in the group, we ask about George W. Bush's "No Child Left Behind" program that is meant to stimulate and reward excellence in public education.

"We like to call it the 'No Teacher Left Standing'" program, explains one woman whose school, with a huge Hispanic population and burgeoning ESL needs, lost tens of thousands of dollars in funding because the school "underperformed."

The next day, our last in Texas, is the last family party. My great-grandparents, absolute teetotallers, would not have approved of the wine and beer flowing as we sit on the deck in the sunshine. But I'm sure they would approve of our gathering and would be especially glad to see the northern and southern branches of their family tree come together for 10 days in March.

Amélie Crosson is an Ottawa writer.

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If You Go

When to go: Summer is hot, hot, hot. In Houston, it's a steam bath; in Dallas, a dry heat. Average highs in June, July and August are above 33 degrees. In winter, the temperature is cool -- 12 to 16 degrees. You need coats. Spring and fall are mild and sunny. September through November or March through May are both excellent times to visit Texas.

How to get there: Air Canada has flights from to Houston, Austin and Dallas, via Toronto or Chicago.

Where to stay in Houston:

- Hotel ZaZa: An eclectic hotel in the museum district. Rooms start at $179. Call 1-713-526-1991 or see www.hotelzazahouston.com

- The Menger Hotel: Rooms from $119 to $265. Mae West and Sarah Bernhardt both stayed at this historic hotel next to the Alamo, as did several U.S. presidents. Rumour has it that Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife enjoyed their honeymoon there. Call 1-210-223-4361 or see www.mengerhotel.com

Where to eat in San Antonio:

- Casa Rio (Mexican, on the River Walk): 1-210-225-6718

- Rosario's (Tex Mex): 1-210-223-1806

Where to stay in Austin:

- Driskill Hotel: A grand, ornate hotel built by a cattle baron in 1886. Rooms start at $320 a night. Call 1-800-252-9367 or see www.driskillhotel.com

- Hotel San José: A 1930s "motor hotel" renovated to post-modern hipdom in the heart of downtown. Rooms start at $205 a night. 1-800-574-8897 or www.sanjosehotel.com

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